Thursday, August 19, 2010

You didn't think Tiger Woods was the only "nice guy" athlete playing way dirty behind the scenes, did ya?Meet Pepper Harthman, an all-American ball player, praised for his charitable work and family-man demeanor. At least that's the public's opinion of this idolized star and, clearly, appearances aren't always what they seem if you've wound up in our Blind Vice section.But, poor Pepper just doesn't know how to curb his naughty desires:Good-lookin' Pep, like most famous athletes, just can't keep it in his über tight pants. So what else is new, right?Well, the fact that he's got a doting family, as well as an apple-pie image, doesn't exactly helps things here. Also problematic to Pepper's PR image would be his myriad cheating hook-ups while he's on the road and one of those chicks who's now blabbing about it!How unfortunate it is when a girl who you've been sticking it to—and who has messages to prove such—is threatening to go to the media with these electronic boobie-traps? Uh, then Mr. Harthman, it's time to get out your checkbook.Which is exactly what we're hearing Pepper and his handlers may be scrambling to do.Harthman's teammates (owners included) know about his extracurricular activities and are way worried what will happen when this all gets exposed, because, trust us, it is."It's only a matter of time before it all comes out," says our super worried sports source on the inside.P.H.'s team is one of the best of the best, thanks to Harthman's skills, and they all know how quickly that will go away if their star's good-guy demeanor is shattered. His head will never be in the game, and considering he is one of the most valuable players, you can kiss those championship rings goodbye.Woods is the prime example! We're approaching a year since Tiger's escapades were exposed, and the onetime all-star has hardly recovered.So can money really fix Pepper's probs? Clock's a tickin', and we're dying to find out.

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comments:

Anonymous
said...

Peyton Manning is well-known around Indy for hooking up with randoms at the bars. He's got a nice-guy image in the media, but is actually a giant asshole crybaby. He runs the practices ("it's Peyton's team") and the team would likely fall apart without him calling the shots.

I agree with roseyf my first thought was Peyton. I live in Indy and I know he has quite the nice guy image but I have met him and he was hitting on anything female. There were some rumors a few years ago about him hooking up with someone famous that were quickly squashed. Would not surprise me if it was him

He has salt & pepper hair (Pepper Hartmann), he is married with a family, and is considered an MVP and a champ. I think Ted is not just trying to talk about what just happened but was covered up by the sports media and PR team (fear of legal retaliation), he is also warning that there is obviously more to come, just like with Tiger. Which is why this would still be juicy, considering the first story has already broke. This means, the worst is yet to come. Slime.

I don't think this is Favre. He has bounced from team to team the past few years and just yesterday announced he was coming back for one more season. Plus I don't know that the Vikings would be considered "the best of the best" in the NFL.

rsgud06, the evidence with the recent text scandal is damning, though. I think we are going to find out that he is not the good old mid-western American hero that so many (not me) think he is. Regardless of what he has done in the last few years, he still will one day go into the football hall of fame due to his service at Green Bay. Also, isn't the timing suspect with him announcing his return AGAIN within days of the text story? Deflect, deflect, deflect, PR team!!

Props for the best of the best comment though, because I initially took that as his PR team and worker bees being the best at what they do. After re-reading, I see I interpreted that differently than it was intended. That does throw a minor wrench.......

If it isn't him, my next guess would be Tom Brady. Handsome, family man, shocking because his wife is a supermodel.

I don't think Peyton Manning can be called good looking. He is average in the face at best, and is losing his hair. And, correct me if I am wrong, I believe Manning only has one championship ring under his belt, and the blind has plural "rings". Manning also has no kids and was recently divorced I believe.

I don't think it's Favre. At 41 he's ready ancient by football standards and Ted's comment about championship rings referred to future rings. I can't imagine he's going to do this whole "will he or won't he" thing for that many more years.I also don't think it's Brady because of that whole mess with Bridget Moynahan. She made sure the kid's initials were JET. That should say a lot. A lot of the details do fit Manning. He is one of the best qbs in the game right now. He has a significantly high profile. Lots and lots of ad campaigns. He has a charitable foundation and did a lot to help victims of Katrina. My money is on him right now.

Yeah, the text msg stuff with Farve is damning, but I don't think the Vikings are the "best of the best." Plus sources wouldn't have been worried about it since we was supposedly retired until yesterday.

I don't think Tom Brady would be shocking - he dumped pregnant Bridget Moynahan for Giselle, plus he's not necessarily known for charitable giving.

And I thought championship rings - plural - referred to the future ones they're hoping to get with him at the helm, which they're afraid of losing if he "loses focus." So not necessarily someone who has won multiple times.

A couple sports fans in my office think either Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, or Drew Brees - based on the apple-pie and being a large part of the best of the best team. They settled on Brees because he's seen as so cute/nice and is HUGEly known for his charity work.

I live in MS (so does Favre & Peyton has strong connections here). Brett's not really known for his charitable work and doesn't really have a big staff of "handlers", he has One guy. Peyton can by NO means be considered "good looking". Now who IS both of these, at least around these parts, is Drew Brees. Very good looking, always pictured with wife & little boy, and very well known for all the cahritable work he's done in New Orleans.

What about Jason Sehorn? Sorry I don't know too much about sports players or teams but his wife Angie Harmon is always saying in interviews how close they are as a family. They have three little girls, and are devout Christians. His proposal to Angie on a talk show was a big deal at the time. A reveal like this would be a problem.

It's definitely football. Football pants are ultratight. Baseball ones aren't. I think every sport has championship rings so that's not really a clue. It couldn't be Jeter because he's not married and has a womanizing reputation. Hanging out at strip clubs. Allegedly has the big herp (I love him though so I hope that rumor isn't true). Anyway, it's not him.My sports obsessed ex first thought of Drew Brees but I don't know that he has the kind of name recognition (yet) that some others mentioned have.I'll admit that Manning is not the best looking guy out there, but he is like Tiger in terms of ad endorsements. Dude is everywhere. We're assuming doting family equals wife. How many ads has he done with Eli? They're frequently together ... Like salt and "pepper."

I'm Australian and have no idea who you're talking about apart from Tom Brady and that's only because of the Giselle connection LOL. Think the public would be shocked at how many other very high profile sportsmen would be "doing a Tiger" in direct contrast with the PR image trotted out by the clubs. These idiot men just can't help themselves. Gosh knows how Posh n Becks have survived all these years. Not putting all men in this basket.

"All-American", "doting family"...Ted's really going out of his way here to make us believe this is Peyton Manning, which makes me think it's not. Man, if Griffey hadn't retired, he'd be as good a candidate if not better.

I'm trying to think of someone in other sports that might qualify and might be enough of a household name to be a Ted blind, because Manning's really the only football player who fits the clues. The only person I can think of with a little bit of thought is Steve Nash, except he's not All-American, he's All-Canadian.

Okay, I've thought about it a bit more. The AIAs are a basketball player, a football player, and a (retired) baseball player. Could we be looking at a hockey or soccer player? That really narrows down the field in terms of name recognition. Sidney Crosby is the only A-List hockey player, and, like Steve Nash, he's Canadian.

So let's turn to the only A-List American soccer player. Landon Donovan does fit the clues. The Galaxy is his team, not Beckham's, and they're having a very good season right now. He does a lot of charity work. And he plays in LA, which raises his profile in terms of getting on Ted's radar. So I'll throw his name into the mix.

It isn't scandalous if he isn't married or with children. Manning has neither. Being a family man suggests having a wife and kids, not a family of people connected to football. Cheating means he is married or very attached.

Duly noted, and interesting catch, on the two sports that are not mentioned, but America is not big on soccer, at least not while the world cup is going on, and hockey is catching on, but not where many people know very many notable players. Especially Ted's key audience (not straight males).

Peyton Manning IS married. I don't think he has kids, but he's definitely married. There have been rumors of divorce for years, but as far as I know they're together. (Granted, most people assume it's an open marriage since apparently she's known for cheating too.)

I abviously do not follow sports. And if there was a blind about Tiger Woods, I would've never guessed in a million years that it was Tiger Woods.

But even if I don't follow sports, I know who Tiger Woods is, and when the news broke, and the waves, after waves of skanks came out of the woods, or skankville, my jaw dropped.

That being said, I am wondering if this would be around the same profile: A sportsman we all admire and know about. An irreproachable family man with a clean-as-a-whistle profile, and of course, an example for all kids who dream of breaking into the same sport.

My first thought was Beckam, for all kids want to bend it like Beckam. But soccer/Football is not an all American sport. American football is, or as Tamara has said, Baseball.

But none of the names stated above ring any 'superstar' bell, except for Derek Jeter,Manning and finally: Jason Sehorn, which absolutely fits the bill for the blind.

Why would Ted be interested in the sports world (with all their cheating allegations, rape allegations, doping allegations, etc. etc.) when he is most interested in anything and everything Hollywood. Because of Angie Hamon, who was always gracious on the red carpet and is involved in tons of charitable work through the fashion world, would put Jason on Ted's radar.

They have 3 daughters last time I checked, but there is a possiblity they are now at 4, and she is supposedly returning to TV.

Sehorn is playing anymore, but I agree: for Ted to post about it, this has to be someone well-known to non-sports buffs. That's why I'm stuck on Manning. Brees is a good option, but I don't think he's that well-known outside of NOLA or the NFL. Jeter isn't necessarily a family man - he's supposedly engaged but not married. There's really no one else that really has a recognition level close to Tiger.

The "pepper" clue immediately shouted out baseball to me as well, but I thought about who it might be, and there's no one who has mainstream popularity in the sport and fits the rest of the clues, especially the "All-American" one. "Pepper" has to signify spicy food, which shouts out "New Orleans", hence the links to Manning and Brees.

Rita: Beckham isn't the answer to this one for one simple reason: he's Stud-Bucket LeBoeuf.

When Sehorn was playing, he was C-List at best, and only because he played in the international cesspit known as New York. Angie Harmon is C-List at best as well. If Ted's doing a sports blind, he's going A-List all the way, or someone who's playing in LA right now, someone who's connected into the celeb culture there. That's why I like Donovan. Plays in LA and is very, very hothothot right now.

Tara: Remember that we're just coming off of the World Cup, and Donovan's last-second goal against Algeria has put him straight into mainstream awareness. Also, coming off of the World Cup, soccer has become hip again in the mainstream, and we all know how Ted likes to take advantage of something's "hip status" (Robsten, to cite one example).

Actually, I'm pushing Donovan for one reason: this blind being Manning makes it boring, a lot like Manning himself is.

Pepper can be played in many sports, it just means to throw or bounce the ball back & forth. I agree with Ritas point that there has to be a true celeb connection, not just an athlete for Ted to care. So Tom Brady FTW in my opinion. Some call him the golden boy of the NFL, and he has a famous supermodel wife and 2 kids. Beckham is suspected to be another vice, check under his or Victorias name...not coming to my brain at the moment. But it's also a cheating vice. If Sehorn is done playing it can't be him, because the BV refers to future championships, as someone pointed out to me above. Brady still has a pretty good rep despite the Moynahan debacle and it would be a shock because he is married to one of the hottest women on earth.

As an indy native, I know that Peyton is getting divorced if he hasn't already. Him and his wife have been separated for a while. The only rumor that he's really known for, especially here, is that him and his soon to be ex wife were swingers! I've definitely seen his wife being affectionate with unknown men...Also, no kids. And NOT good looking. Eli is the only cutie out of the Manning trio.I kinda want to guess Brady. He gets easily flustered on the field, and this would royally fuck him up.

Spie, I know what you mean about jumping on the bandwagon. It actually irritated the crap out of me how many people were all about soccer only when the WC was going on, so I am on an anti-soccer kick due to all the fairweather fans and feel I may have a touch of bias right now due to this. However, Donovan has already had the love child scandal, so I feel like Ted would have made mention of something within the blind? And does he have any children? He was separated from his wife for quite some time before some sort of reconciliation this year.

Brett Favre's hair is "peppery" gray/salt & pepper/peppered with gray. Just sayin'.....it's as good of an argument as any of the others out there for the reasoning behind the name. I also played pepper in volleyball.

I know I can't choose yet between Brady and Favre, and I am owning that I am going back and forth, but Brady does play for the Patriots. "Patriot" connotes quintessential America.

I'm caught in a bind on this one. Manning's too boring. I refuse to acknowledge Favre's existence due to being a Bears fan. I refuse to acknowledge Brady's existence due to my hatred of every sports team in the Acela corridor and their obnoxious fans. So I kinda have to go with Landon Donovan on this one.

Spie! We are both victims of our own biases and pretenses at this point. You take that corner, I will take this one. After conferring with my husband, it seems that no one would care if Favre was a womanizer because everyone outside of Minnesota hates his guts. His words, not mine. I trust his judgement since I am far from a sports nut.

I have come to the realization that initially I was a victim of Ted's hook, line & sinker. My thoughts are he wants us to think this is Favre. The timing is too dead on with the text story....Favre could be the red herring. I was convinced at first he would have AIA'd him from the start if it wasn't him, but not if he wants us to think it is him. That detracts from it being........none other than Tom Brady.

I just can't like it if the dude in question does not have Hollywood famous connections to someone. It's the only way to keep it relevant with what his readers want. Bring on the D, F, and Z listers in the BVs, but when you start throwing sports stars in there, you lose the target audience. Ted is a smart guy.....and there isn't a shortage of H-wood gossip, so there's no need for this unless he knows there is a reason his AT followers would care. His audience only wants to know about this if it is someone like Tom, Lamar Odom, or........can't think of anyone else who is married to a celeb right now. Anyone?

Sounds like Brett Favre to me. The news of the recent text scandal that was quickly buried would be too coincidental to not be him. There are no baseball players that are married w/ kids that are that well known ot that readers would care about.I don't know how Landon Donovan could ever even be considered for this BI! Ridiculous. He is separated, no kids. Where is the "doting family"?

However, I have consulted the husband on this one (follows sports) and says that this sounds like Brett Favre... that in fact this has already come out... that there is a Fox news reporter (sideline Jets reporter from 2008) that claims Favre sent nude photos of himself to her cell phone a year ago. Has texts, voice mails etc. That she told some guy at deadspin.com and he leaked it. He says this just came out in the past month. But that this wasn't surprising, that he is known to cheat on his wife years ago. Plus Brett Favre has salt and pepper hair (Pepper).

Husband also says that Peyton Manning sounds like a more "squeaky clean" guess, that he is the golden boy of the NFL... however although he is married, he has no kids according to my husband's knowledge.

Yes, Tara was the 1st to guess Brett Favre. He is the best guess in my book too although Blurry-I agree Gisele and Tom are very annoying.All-American at 1st appeared to me to be baseball but...no high-profile baseball players are married w kids except Pujols.

Favre is part native American. I guess that could make you "all-American"

If it isn't someone with a celeb family or wife, it has to be Favre or someone who everyone knows. With the "sexting" story, I think if this is Brett, Ted is alluding that there are plenty more with worse than just texts and they are all going to start Gloria Allred-ing up and "confess" their affairs to the world. Surely Ted knew about the story before he came out with this, even though a lot of media outlets were not touching it. I don't doubt he did what she said he did. Seriously, Brett? Whacking in crocs? No bueno.

I am glad I am not crazy, was beginning to feel like the only one who could even entertain Favre as this dude. But it is, to me the obvious choice, which makes me wonder, as I said above, if Ted wants us to think it is him.

That said, Tom would be more of a shocker and I would like it to be him as well. My husband says he stayed home during some important team camps to spend time with the fam recently, and was getting major crap for it. Maybe there is something brewing on the homefront?

You are right, none, that statement does not bode well for the Favre argument. He is on borrowed time, that is for sure. Interesting.

If Ted was wanting us to assume anything, it would be the link to Favre's recent scandal, that'd be why he wouldn't have been an original AIA. I think, like myself, it'd be most people's first thought. Then, the less obvious choice would still be Brady.

Would you say our friend Pepper Harthman is at the beginning, middle or end of his career? That would certainly effect how much damage this info could do!—Sports Nut

Dear Playing With Balls:Middle, of course. He's one of the hottest sports stars to hit the field these days. But then again, if this plays out anything like Tiger's scandal, it could be the end of his career, too

"Dear Ted:Would you say our friend Pepper Harthman is at the beginning, middle or end of his career? That would certainly effect how much damage this info could do!—Sports Nut

Dear Playing With Balls:Middle, of course. He's one of the hottest sports stars to hit the field these days. But then again, if this plays out anything like Tiger's scandal, it could be the end of his career, too."

- hmmm well Brett Favre comes back from retirement every year, its a big joke when he says he is retiring again cause he always comes back.

Brady's entering his tenth season as starter. That's not necessarily the middle of a career, more toward the winding-down phase. Manning's entering his thirteenth season as a starter, again more toward the end. But I have no idea how much Ted follows football. Probably less than your average American guy given his occupation, and he might not have any idea of the longevity of a quarterback.

I'm leaning a lot more toward Brees right now with that statement, but I'm your typical American male sports fan.

Most of Ted's audience wouldn't know or give a hoot if it were him. There are things that totally fit, like his looks and everyone knows he has a kid from the Superbowl pic of him with his kid wearing his jersey, and his charitable work with New Orleans, but the week could not have been so slow that he needed to whip this out if it were Brees. Brees is famous and notable within the world of sports, but this does not translate to the entertainment world (no offense, I just mean the E! entertainment world).

Tara: That's why I've been hesitant to think it's Brees. His popularity is still limited to the sports fan community and not the wider community at large. But, as a sports fan, I just don't see either Manning or Brady described as being in the "middle" of their career. They have maybe three or four good years left. Manning will probably carry on as long as humanly possible in order to get all of Favre's records, but Brady is getting pretty close to the end.

My problem with this blind is that I can't put myself into the mindset of Ted's typical audience and think from that perspective. The sports fan in me, the multiple-times-a-day si.com and espn.com reader, just gets in the way too much. That's why I tried to think outside the box a little earlier on.

That being said, though, I think I can contribute something from the sports fan perspective. If this was Brady, then the story will never get out. New England has a reputation of being closed tighter than a submarine when it comes to information. Nothing leaks out of there. Every piece of information about the team is regarded by Kraft and Darth Hoodie to be a state secret. If this thing leaks, they have the mindset that this will not affect the team. And nothing does tend to affect them. They survived Spygate; they can easily survive this. I'd eliminate Brady just on this basis.

in todays BB made reference to Pepper being in the middle of his career.

"Middle, of course. He's one of the hottest sports stars to hit the field these days."

i would say brett farve is certainly not in the middle of his career nor hot sport star. so i'm pretty sure that eliminates him.

"Well, the fact that he's got a doting family, as well as an apple-pie image, doesn't exactly helps things here."

Tom Brady gives me a more apple-pie american vibe than brett.

"P.H.'s team is one of the best of the best, thanks to Harthman's skills"

Tom is a MVP winner as well as the quaterback and leading the patriots to victory. While brett and the vikings have not played the superbowl since brett joined the team.

from wiki:

"Between 2001 and 2005, the Patriots became the second team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in four years,and the eighth to win consecutive Super Bowls."

" Under quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have also compiled the longest winning streak consisting of regular season and playoff games in NFL history, a 21-game streak from October 2003–October 2004."

So Spie, what if the skanks take note from Tiger's homewreckers and go straight to Gloria Allred, bypassing the traditional route for extortion? I guess there is not as much leverage in that case, but some sick women would be willing to forgo the huge payout for the 15 minutes of fame and the interview $$. Especially with how much press those Tiger chicks got. And once one comes out, then they all want a piece of the limelight. So if they are financially smart, they would go through him and the Pats and eliminate the chance for media swarm. But if beyotch has the sickness and the only cure is TMZ, then I think no one can hold the beast back.

I get that the team is omnipotent and all that. If outside baggage does affect his gameplay, I would think the honchos would be more concerned and driven due to that than his all american reputation. If this is the case, then maybe they would stop at nothing to squash this--it could cost them another championship.

Tara: The Patriots' SOP for situations like this is "We're not going to comment" and then close ranks. They've done this numerous times before. This is a team that has never let media distractions get the best of them. A good example of this is Randy Moss. For the previous three seasons, Moss was human poison with the Vikings and Raiders. New England brought him in amid numerous stories in the press of how he was going to destroy them too, and there was no reason for Moss to break behavior patterns. He set the new record for touchdown receptions in a season that year.

This is how this team responds. If Brady gets nailed for sexting by a Tiger-like wave, the Patriots will close ranks around him and provide him with protection from the media. You also have to remember that Brady doesn't have the type of endorsement income to lose that Manning and Favre do (especially Manning, who will whore for anything), so there won't be that Tiger-like impact on his finances.

I hate to say this, but the reaction from most American men will be a sneaky sense of admiration: he's so famous and so wanted by women that he screwed around on an ultra-model. There won't be any condemnation from us, only massive envy.

And that's the whole thing about this blind and Ted's intended audience. Ted's appealing to the female audience and the sense of outrage this will entail. Guys, though, will immediately go, "A rich athlete thinking with his penis. What else is new?"

That is sick, but most likely true. Sadly even I thought the same thing (re:your last paragraph). Which would be why it wouldn't be a story at all (to Ted) without the additional people and things affected.

I don't think he can be counted out just yet though, because I think Ted's knowledge of all things sports may be extremely limited and therefore, he may not know how they would attempt to keep the lid on the volcano so to speak. He would just be feeling sorry for Gisele and the kid.

LeBron? That's a weird elimination. He's not married (although he's said to be a good father), and he's never presented a family-friendly image; however, his mother does dote on him heavily. There's got to be a reason for why Ted printed that one. Is he pointing to a basketball player, tightness of trouserwear notwithstanding? If so, how about LeBron's new teammate Dwayne Wade? He's got as family-friendly an image as possible in basketball, he's got a family he dotes on, he's already won a championship, and if his situation becomes a distraction, the Heat will suffer. Pat Riley is the kind of guy who won't like it one bit if this kind of stuff comes out, so even that part fits.

Or maybe Ted just printed the LeBron elimination because of LeBron's omnipresence. I dunno.

"Dear Ted:Thanks for throwing us B..V addicts a mid-week bone! While pondering the identity of Pepper Harthman , I just couldn't help but wonder, why do you think we goss fiends would give two hoots about this dude? Is it possibly because he is married to someone notable? Kisses and shelter love!—Tara

Dear Pep Rally:Because sports stars are just as big of celebrities as actors and musicians these days, T. Or would you rather have me skip all the juicy details about hotties like David Beckham or the sleazy Tiger Woods types?"

Spie - I think sometimes the ones Ted chooses to publish are sometimes the easier eliminations. For example, probably a LOT of people wrote in asking about Brett Favre and Tom Brady. But by eliminating one of them that keeps us wondering. So someone asked about LeBron (random yes). He chose to answer that one cause, honestly it is random and was an easy elim for him to do without revealing much. I feel like he did that with Moisty Mohr for a long time before the reveal. It was ridiculous.

Today Ted indicated that Pepper was NOT a baseball player, and used the word "sneaky" in reply to a question about Pepper. Makes me think of the term "Quarterback sneak". So I think we are on the right track thinking QB.

I disagree with the Tom Brady guess, because of the family and charity angles. And since Ted said he was "less of a big shot" I think that eliminates Brady AND Manning. I think it starts to point to Brees.

Like I said before I don't follow sports, but doesn't Ted's comment about Pepper being in the middle of his career eliminate Brett Favre. I know enough about the whole Brett Favre situation to know that he no longer fits this BV from that BB answer alone. If anyone thinks this is still him can you explain to me why? I'm kinda lost and have no idea how this could be him.

Brittany--I don't think anyone is super pro-Brett Favre right now. Even I, who originally brought up Favre as a contender for PH, have since turned my focus to Brady due to Ted's comments. The sisters usually won't change the top suspect guess unless they have specifically been eliminated or feel someone has come up with a good enough counter-argument for another contender to take the position. Right now, they may not be convinced that any other option listed here is worthy of replacing Favre. Which means, we need more clues from Ted and stronger arguments for each of the repeated suspects listed above.

I believe, due to my BB question posted above, Ted comparing PH to Woods (again) and Beckham solidifies that we are talking about a household name, someone everyone, even non-sports peeps, are familiar with. In each of the sports (now that baseball is excluded), that list would be very short. Maybe we can start by naming the top 5 or so household names for each major pro sport that is left. Then pare it down from there.

On a different note, I believe Tom Brady has at least one major contract left in his career. That does not signify the end. He may have already peaked but he still has quite a bit of life left, unless he gets injured.

Tara: All it takes is one hit to put you out. That's what happened to Brady a couple of seasons ago, and, ironically, that's what got Brady the starting job in the first place.

The "middle of his career" remark does eliminate Favre. There's no doubt about that.

Okay, let me start naming names in some of the major sports, eliminating baseball, names that people who aren't familiar with sports would know. Americans only, team sports only, mid-career only, good reputations only (goodbye, Ochocinco, Cutler, and Kobe), since that's what Ted's essentially stating...

speaking as a guy who follows the packers and lives in wisconsin (and comes to this site--it takes all kinds, right?), brett favre definitely has tarnished his reputation on and off the field. at this point, people see him as a prima donna and a a bit of an egomaniac.

I thought it was common knowledge he recently got caught "sexting," sending pictures of his penis to some woman, so I don't know why this would be a blind vice. plus, he might have had a family-man reputation for a little while in his career, but it's well-known he has cheated on his wife in the past, and he's had alcohol and prescription drug problems.

I'm not sure it's not brett--it wouldn't shock me if ted didn't follow sports stars all that closely. but some stuff just doesn't add up for me.

p.s. one of the game's most valuable players? granted, he can be great, but he's inconsistent, especially under pressure, and it's getting worse as he gets older. if this is about brett, I just can't imagine someone saying some of that shit about him. it made sense when he retired the first time. but... whatever...

Thanks, Spie! I knew you'd take that bait. That wouldve taken me weeks. While I realize one good hit would take Brady out, I still think he has one solid contract left--according to my NFL sources, that is;)

I cannot allow myself to entertain another suspect yet. The closest second for me is Brees, but I just so would not care if it were him. If this is an NBA player, yawn!! What else is new? They are the biggest dirty dawgs out there! I was trying to think of other superstars that have famous wives and all I can come up with is Lamar Odom and Hank Baskett, other than the ones we have listed, and neither are of MVP team-leading quality.

I think everyone is reading into the "tightpants" part of this too much. for me the keyword is BALLER, when was the last time you heard a baseball player reffered to as a baller. That is definitley a basketball term...D Wade anyone? Married with kids, Miami Heat one of the best in the NBA, MVP caliber, NBA championships. I am from Chicago, D-wade's hometown, he is also known to be very charitable.

Snap, Brittany, you were all over that one. I may get some heat for this, but I don't think it is one bit surprising when NBA players are dogs--they are the worst of all the sports. Likely, this is someone who appears to have it all together, marriage and family-wise, who hasn't had divorce rumors and it would be somewhat surprising to see the scandal come to light. And I am all about this being a football player. American football, that is:)

J: I'm Chicago born, bred, and Blue and Orange, so I have to take shots at Packers fans. You know the score, so don't take it personally. And I'd agree with you, except for one little thing: no one in the known universe other than Brett believes he's in the middle of his career, and given his "this is my last season" talk, he doesn't either.

I think we really need to take him off as main candidate and replace him with Brady.

I concur, Spie. Brady is set to (or may have just) sign a contract extension for 4 years, correct me if I am wrong? He is the suspect to disprove IMO, currently. Brett was a good starting point, though!!

I think its Donavan McNabb. He has a squeaky clean family image, is in the 'middle' of career (long time Eagle just traded to Wash.) but he's not real flashy like Ted described LeBron. Brett F. my second guess.

Tara: Brady signed the contract extension, which was for four years, as you said. So, technically, he's still "middle of career". Given everything, especially with the Gisele thing that connects directly with Ted's target audience, he's the main candidate. I just don't want him to be this blind. It's too tame. I want to see him in a BV that would make him suffer miserably if it was revealed.

McNabb...oh, I'm not sure. He just doesn't fit as well as Brady. But I know it's NOT Favre.

Tara: I lived in Germany for three years. German women do tend to be...well, emotionally inhibited (so are German men, for that matter). And we all know that supermodels are more whacked out psychologically than inbred poodles. So there might be a reason why Brady would look elsewhere. We men aren't as shallow as you might think. We have needs too, and they aren't always physical.

Okay, I have been following along on this blind and all the guessing because I am from New England, and a huge sports fan. I soooo badly DON'T want this to be my TB...but I have to say Favre doesn't fit, and as much as I wanted it to be Manning, he doesn't fit either.

The Spie, you almost made me spit my coffee on my laptop. I lived in Germany for three years also, and cannot agree more regarding your assessment of German women!

However, I am still waiting for something to come out on this one that will allow me to eliminate TB!

Yes, Spie, but Gisele is Brazilian, but of German descent. Born and raised in Brazil. Brazilian women are not so inhibited, I would say. They did invent the micro thong brazilian bikini, and the wax.......

Tara: You're forgetting the supermodel part. They're all flaky. Look at Kate Moss and her nose candy. Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks should only be wearing white jackets that tie in the back. Cindy Crawford was so insane she married Rande Gerber. Tom Brady, in addition to being an avatar of Satan, is of the species known as Average American Male. He's going to get sick of the diva behavior eventually. He did with Moynihan.

I'm saying that Brady is the leading candidate. My personal feelings about expunging his existence from Earth cannot intrude on rational analysis. He fits the best based on everything, from mainstream sports star to "middle of career" to increased awareness among Ted's target audience in re Gisele.

I fell into the trap of reading this as a sports fan first. The moment I dug myself out of that rabbit hole, the answer was clear.

The Spie, after I read your question, I think I'm hopping on the Brees train too. It still leaves the door open for Manning, but he might be the actual red herring here. I can't get the pic of Brees and his boy after the Super Bowl out of my mind, esp in relation to the family comments. I think that pic went a long way in establishing his good-guy rep. So I'm in favor of Brees, with Manning as a back-pocket pick.

Ok Spie, the suspense is killing me. I can't figure out how this links Brees to PH. All it says is his chicks on the side are not famous, like Tiger's hoes. I can't like it, not yet.

What I am speculating is that you might be thinking Pete Poked is Leo DiCaprio, making Charmaine Chuck-up Bar Refaeli or Gisele, depending on how long Ted waited to release the BV (Leo and G broke up in 2005). Therefore, by guessing someone who is linked by a degree of separation or if CCU is, by chance, Gisele, Ted can't deny that connection or at least that you are barking up the right tree--IF this were Brady. Am I remotely close? It is hard work deciphering your logic!

Regardless, I am loving a model for CCU, which frees up Kate Bosworth for Eartha Bertha and really closes in on Orlando Bloom as Harland Fuss. Have you been sleeping at all lately, Spie?

Well, I didn't specify "pieces on the side", and neither did Ted. He said that Pepper was into "girls outside the limelight". That, in my opinion, disqualifies Gisele, which disqualifies Brady as Pepper.

And you're exactly right on what I was going for with that question. My real target was Pete Poked, and since Leo and Gisele were strong candidates for Pete and Charmaine, I thought I might as well ask something provocative involving our presumption of Brady as Pepper.

As for sleep, honestly, not really that much. Happens all the time around this time of year, to be honest.

That is true, neither of you did, just assumed based on the Tiger reference paired with the fact that he will not answer whether PH's wife is famous. I like how you went about this, just not convinced it totally rules out Brady yet.

Reading the PP/CCU board I ran into Trent Spent and Divella Snifella, the timeline for the breakup for TS and DS works better for CCU as Gisele, but I am not feeling Leo for that as much as for Pete. I kind of prefer Jude Law as TS, making DS Sienna Miller. You know the Sniffella fits.

""Dear Ted:Can't have dogs at my apartment, so I can't satisfy your needs on that count. But maybe you'll still satisfy mine with an answer to these queries: Is Pepper Harthman currently involved with another Blind Vice? If so, could it be Charmaine Chuck-Up?—X

Dear Feeling Peppy:Interesting guess. Care to share why you think Char has anything to do with our horny athlete? But no, Pepp is into girls outside the limelight. Totally a Tiger Woods move, dontcha think?"

Brees fits the clues for Pepper perfectly: family, charitable efforts, household name, middle of career (unlike Favre and perhaps Manning), etc. Now Ted, in his response to me, says that Pepper favors girls outside the limelight; that eliminates Tom Brady on the basis of Brady's wife, a presumption that Tara disagrees with.

Given all the elements, I think Brees is the strongest candidate, and I didn't even bring up the Pepper -> spicy food -> New Orleans link.

I totally get why you are saying that he prefers his girls out of the limelight, a la Tiger, but on the other hand, Tiger was married to a Swedish model, and just had flings with some trashy non-celebs to keep attention off him. Elin, though not known in the US, is not exactly low key herself, having a politician for a mother and her father working as a radio journalist and a bureau chief in DC. I realize she isn't "famous" as in limelight/celeb/household name material, but her family is certainly well accomplished and likely well known in political circles. You know Ted, always the ambiguous little stinker.

Now I am troubled by the fact that Drew's wife is pregnant with their second child. Not that I am on the Brees train, but if he did cheat he is a massive idiot.

Can't give up on Brady yet. Must have more clues! What can we ask Ted?

I did think of something that's ambiguous enough that it leaves a lot open for other candidates, but resolves the Brady/Brees conundrum: "Does Pepper do his job mostly indoors or outdoors?" Brady plays home games in an outdoor stadium, Brees in a dome. An answer of "indoors" still leaves those with basketball guesses an out.

And I think that the fact that Brees' wife is pregnant might be a positive clue toward Pepper. Remember when I said that most people really wouldn't care about Brady catting around on Gisele, especially after what he did to Moynihan? Well, most of Ted's target audience would care about cheating around on a pregnant wife. Always remember the target audience.

OK so that is a decent argument for Brees vs Brady. But is it all a big coincidence that this blind vice came out within days of the identical story being published about Brett Favre? The article about the woman that Favre was texting is almost identical to this blind vice. It's almost as if this isn't even blind. Yeah it could be someone else but I doubt it. I have never even heard of Drew Brees, how can he be an American favorite.

Blurry: When Ted said that Pepper was in the middle of his career, that eliminated Favre, who is most definitely at the end of his career; he's going to turn 41 next month. That's why Tara and I have been asking to have Favre taken off as Top Suspect. Ted eliminated him without the need for a full AIA.

The timing of the story was no coincidence, of course; it's another of Ted's misdirection plays, where he wants us to think it's Favre because of those stories that came out. You know he loves to do that. The articles are the reason why Favre hasn't been AIAed by name. Ted's toying with the casual readers, and the readers who don't know about sports, again.

Brees became an "American favorite" at the Super Bowl, when he carried his infant son out on the field after the game during the victory celebration. That photo was in every paper and on every sports and news website. Nary a dry eye in the house. He definitely became a household name at the Super Bowl. Remember, just because you haven't heard of him...well, I shouldn't get into that after the argument I had with sistah2 a number of months ago on this subject.

And he definitely has the All-American CV: went to Purdue (how much more Middle America can you get?), came back from an injury that might have destroyed his career, adopted post-Katrina New Orleans with his charitable efforts after he signed there, helped the city recover psychologically, has reached the peak of his profession, and has nothing negative even rumored about him. Sexting is even the perfect Vice for him; it's as mild as a pro athlete can get these days.

Given everything, it's either Brees or Brady, and I think Ted knocked out Brady with his response to me.

I don't see how Ted's response to your question Spie eliminates Brady. Agreeing with Tara here, Ted is saying that the girls that Pepper is hooking up with on the side are not famous. He never says anything about the wife's status.

I think in this argument its Brady over Brees. Don't forget the championship ringSSS. Brees only has one championship under his belt. I'm just not convinced that this isn't Brady yet.

Brit: Read what Ted wrote again: "Pepp is into girls outside the limelight." Does that describe Tom Brady, who sired children with Bridget Moynihan and Gisele Bundchen? Again, Ted never said anything about his side pieces. You're implying that from the Tiger mention. Again, this is Ted misdirection. Ignore the Tiger aside and it becomes clearer.

To settle this someone should ask Ted if Pepper has more than one championship. Ted is confusing and I honestly believe there is more than one way to interpret his answer. You think Ted's misdirection is one way, I think he mentioned Tiger to misdirect people to think that Pepper is married to someone out of the limelight. There are two ways to interpret that answer; one being Ted was saying Pep's wife isn't famous, the other being Pep doesn't cheat on his wife with famous girls. I have no bias here, I'm just trying to see both sides of the argument.

I don't think the "more than one championship" question will work. Technically, Brees does have more than one championship. He has an NFL championship, and on the way there, he won an NFC championship. A little pedantic, yes, but that's the whole raison d'etre of the Super Bowl: pit the champion of the NFC against the champion of the AFC. You even get a trophy for winning the NFC championship. I still like my indoor/outdoor question a little better.

And I totally agree with you: there is more than one way to take Ted's statement. That's the way he does things, after all. There are merits to both interpretations. I just think that the Tiger statement was a diversion that simply refers back to the original Vice and provides no modifiers for Ted's first statement. Again, it fits perfectly into Ted's MO.

"Dear Ted:So with the new In Touch story about David Beckham and the prostitute, I gotta ask: Is he Pepper Harthman? Pepper is a spice, and Beckham is married to my favorite Spice Girl. I know you can't come right out an answer me, but I'm hoping for a denial to be honest!—Bridgit's Mom

Dear Sext Savvy:Nope, David has a much older Vice. Plus, Pepp has been able to keep his skanky ways under wraps so far, not even a friggin' rumor has popped up about his penchant for babes that aren't his wifey."

OK Spie since the above letter has convinced me it's not Brett Favre, I removed him as top suspect and put Drew Brees in his place. For now. Sheesh. Good argument and all, but I still say since I haven't heard of him that I am reluctant. Or maybe I just wouldn't care.

Well, roseyf was the first to suggest Brees, so I'll give her credit where it's due.

Brees is a great fit, isn't he? That's why I've always liked him for this one. One of my objectives for my question to Ted was to confirm/deny Brady, because he was the more obvious candidate due to his higher Q Rating. Brees was only just high enough on the awareness scale to warrant a BV, which is why I wanted a little more info. Now that I got it, I feel a lot more firm about Brees.

Oh, yeah, here's the explanation for the whole Favre "coincidence", as you put it, Blurry: who was the quarterback opposing Favre in their next game after the BV was printed? Who was the opposing quarterback in the previous game that Favre played? Drew Brees, both times. Ted's using Favre's situation to draw attention to the real answer to the BV. Not the first time he's done that, huh?

I'm not with you 100% on Brees. I will say I have seen him more on TV lately, but something isn't clicking for me just yet.

Why might Gisele be kissing another scruffy dude? Could it be because she is pissed, like the sullen, hot tempered brazilian babe she is, she chooses to get even rather than leave? Check this if you haven't seen it already:

If we can get confirmation or reiteration that Pepper does not have a famous spouse, then I am good with Brees. Until then, I cannot help but read his reply about unfamous chicks as his side pieces, not necessarily his wife. Just like you take it opposite. Ted is like the bible. People can take what he says and interpret it to work for them. It is maddening.

Even though it makes me very sad to say it, this is definitely Drew Brees. Peyton Manning has rumors swirling around him and his mostly absent wife 24/7. I know several ladies who have been picked up by Mr. Manning after games, wined and dined at St. Elmo's....it's not a secret. There is NOTHING about Drew Brees out there except that everyone loves him in New Orleans and what a great guy he is. AND....I went to Purdue and have been following Mr. Brees since he was an undergrad...he is definitely one that in order to perform his talent (throwing accuracy), his head has to be in the game. He talked a bit about this during the 60 Minutes interview. He is relevant and more known than you think because he won the Super Bowl! They call him "Breesus" in New Orleans. He walks on water! I can think of no one else who fits this blind more....

Yeah, I guess that straight-out AIAing Favre would tend to eliminate him. But Ted did that a long time ago with the "middle of career" comment.

And with the remark about Pepper having nothing on him...well, I said the same thing on September 24th about Brees. I think Ted eliminated Manning with that statement, because as jes7o said, he's had lots of rumors about him over the years.

I think we need to do a Collective Info Request, NFL-themed. Someone needs to ask if the following players are BVs: Randy Moss, Drew Brees, Terrell Owens, Adrian Peterson, and, to get Ted's attention and pique his whimsy, Julius Peppers. If he answers something like "one of them", we're good to go.

However, if you do send this in, do not ask about the following players: Brett Favre, Tom Brady (too heavy a celeb connection), Peyton Manning (because we want him eliminated), Chad Ochocinco (because he was AIAed for everything only a few months ago), and Tony Romo (see Brady).

Love your blog! Just a couple things that still lead me to believe it could be Farve...*he could become a sportscaster, coach, etc. which would put him mid-career.*HARTHman (hearth=kiln, as in Kiln, MS-his hometown)*I'm a football fan, and where I have seen his wife on tv many times, probably would not recognize her in passing*according to his wiki page, he has done a lot of charity work/donations*no doubt he's done this in the past, but I can't say I've read it in the headlines

And yes, I'm a native New Orleanian (and long suffering Saints fan) so I would hate it if it were our beloved Brees... we would be disappointed but wouldn't kick him to the curb, trust.

I think the compelling reason it's Brees is because there is NOTHING out there even remotely scuzzy about him. He's not the obvious choice (obvious to me, because he fits every clue....but anyway...)

You're right, New Orleanians wouldn't really care if he was getting busy on the DL (not only did I go to Purdue, but I'm a former Westbanker) ....but HE would care that his image was being shattered and his head won't be in the game.

"Dear Ted:I hope you haven't outted Pepper Harthman, otherwise I'll feel dumb for guessing. However, I am thinking Pepper might be Wayne Rooney, who plays for Manchester United? He's not all that good looking, but the rest fits, and the "other woman" just outted him a couple of weeks ago.—Minders

Dear Still Sexting:Nope, you haven't missed any Pepper revelations—shockingly enough. I definitely thought his not-so-subtle cyber sexting would have come out in a big way by now, but he's managed to keep it relatively under wraps. Looks like someone can handle his affairs (literally) better than Tiger Woods. "

Actualy, sistah2 - read from teh top. The story on Brett Favre's sexting scandal came out before this blind vice... it was on deadspin.com. Right away we had Brett Favre as the top suspect, it was too easy. Then Ted said that PH was at the middle of his career. Then he also said that the sexting scandal had not come out yet. So we figure it couldn't have been Brett Favre cause it already was all over the internet, on deadspin.com. Also the hubby said he saw a report on ESPN about it - all BEFORE this blind vice came out. We changed our top guess to Drew Brees bc Spie convinced us he was a better fit.

That's the big question though... whether Ted is pulling a Teri HAtcher on us, and the obvious answer is correct. Or if there really is another player in the NFL with a sexting scandal right now. ??? Who knows.

"Dear Ted:I don't need a response, but just wanted to pass along a link in case you had not seen it yet…Brett Favre may or may not be Pepper Harthman, but it looks like trouble is headed his way. Have a great week!—Ann

Dear Brett Be Gone:Favre may be feeling the tabloid heat, but that's exactly why he's not Pepp. You all are going with the obvious guesses. I'm telling you: There's no dirt on P.H. out there—yet, at least. The guy is one sext away from Tiger Woods status, if you ask me."

Link here - (old news)Dear Ted:I don't need a response, but just wanted to pass along a link in case you had not seen it yet…Brett Favre may or may not be Pepper Harthman, but it looks like trouble is headed his way. Have a great week!—Ann

Dear Brett Be Gone:Favre may be feeling the tabloid heat, but that's exactly why he's not Pepp. You all are going with the obvious guesses. I'm telling you: There's no dirt on P.H. out there—yet, at least. The guy is one sext away from Tiger Woods status, if you ask me.

"No dirt out there on Pepper" equals Brees. There's no cleaner A-List sports figure than Brees other than some baseball players (Albert Pujols and Roy Halladay come to mind), and Ted eliminated those as a group.

"Dear Ted:I am in love with sports and feel like I know who Pepper Harthman is! I was wondering if Pepper Harthman is an anagram for the actual person's name or just a made-up Blind Vice name that has nothing to do with the actually person?—Flo

Dear Juggling Balls:Oh, Pepp's name definitely has to do with his personality, but an anagram? I'm not giving the Vices away that easily, Flo."

I think this has to be Tom Brady and Gisele, eventhough I was hoping it was Drew Brees (as I love gossip--the juicier, the better). In the BV Ted says: Good-lookin' Pep, like most famous athletes, just can't keep it in his über tight pants. So what else is new, right?

uber: When you google Gisele Bundchen, the first line of her OFFICIAL site listing is: Attention: To avoid the loss of e-mails sent by the Übersite such as the confirmation of your registration...

Uber, uber. Uber is German, Gisele, while Brazilian-born, is of German descent. Could be a red herring, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Tom Brady has already been mostly eliminated for two reasons: One his women are famous (Pepper Harthman's wife is not) and two there is plenty of babymama drama with Brady (Pepper Harthman's record is squeeky clean).

I've been thinking about the latest BB post and think Spie is right: Pepper can be a New Orleans reference. Also, Drew does some cheerleading with the team prior to each and every game. He adds "Pep". Also, Harthman could be a vague reference to Boilermaker, Purdue's mascot. It's a stretch, but if you think of a hearth being a heat source and a boiler is a heat source.....

I hate to jump back on the Peyton train, but since Brees was just eliminated, I'm not sure who else is left. I know he's not really good looking but there's always SOMEONE who thinks a pro player is cute. And the NOLA references work since that's where he's from.

You wouldn't really call a golfer a baller, soccer and hockey aren't nearly popular enough to have household names. I suppose it could be someone from NBA, but I'll admit my bias and say no one cares about NBA anymore. It's gotta be someone from football, particularly with the timing of the blind, and I can't think of anyone not-eliminated who is a big enough household name other than Peyton. I don't like it - I think it's too easy - does anyone have other ideas?

You know what is so irritating--Peyton Manning can in no way be considered handsome. Apple-Pie, sure, MVP, yeah yeah. But he is not hot and he is not a "doting family man". The combination of doting+family man connotes that he has children he showers with love and fatherly attention, not that he gives excessive loving adoration to his dad and dorky brother. If he were a doting husband, I can get behind that but you don't usually use Ted's description unless you are speaking of someone with kids. This rant is directed at Ted, not those who think this is PM. For the life of me I cannot think of another all-american MVP football player who is married and can be considered wholesome and ad-friendly/household name, which means half of what Ted alludes to in his BV is complete BS overexaggeration and embellishment if this turns out to be Manning.

I can't see McNabb as Pepper. He's even LESS well-known than Brees (not anywhere close to Woods/Manning/Brady level recognition). I'm a huge football fan, so one of the ways I judge common recognition is commercials. And McNabb has barely had any huge endorsements, not since that stupid Chunky Soup ad in the early 2000's.

Plus, most of the clues don't fit. I'd argue McNabb is closer to the end of his career. He was traded from the Eagles to the Redskins this summer. The Redskins were hardly the "best of the best" in August, so none of the "due to his skills" stuff fits. And he hasn't really been MVP lately, although I guess you could say the Redskins are pinning a lot of their hopes on him performing well.

Sistah I totally know that is Ted's MO, but when he describes him as handsome, a family man, etc, we bark up the wrong tree. Meaning any and all of our BVs we are confident are all but solved are anything but. Jeremy Piven is the new Nevis Devine according to Ted's reckless descriptions. It's laughable and irritating all at once!

It cannot be Donovan McNabb because he is very clearly at the end of his career. There are 32 NFL quarterbacks and very few are household names. With Brees, Brady and Favre eliminated the next most notable is definitely the Manning brothers. Romo is up there but not a family man and dates famous women so he is out. Michael Vick is a household name for all the wrong reasons and can't be this. Ben Roethlisberger can't be Pepper since he's had plenty of public sex scandals already. The only other QBs any non sports fan but gossip loving reader would know of could be Matt Leinart (dated Paris Hilton way back) or Jay Cutler (dates Kristin Cavallari now) are obviously eliminated because of the famous woman clue. Without listing 'nots' for the other 23 it's clear only Peyton or Eli are possible. That being said, I don't think either are such a good fit. Family man throws me off of Peyton and charitable throws me off for Eli. I'm starting to think it's not a football player, at least not a QB. What about someone retired but in the middle of their next career. Like Michael Strahan....not really a household name though. Or maybe Tiki Barber but he had a cheating scandal when his wife was pregnant. So these aren't good ideas but maybe it gets us thinking in a different direction? I'm a first time poster so forgive my rambling and please be kind!!!!

Ok people I have a new never guessed idea for Pepper Harthman's identity. Hear me out on this one.

I think Pepper is Green Bay Packer Wide Receiver Donald Driver.

Here is why:

Driver is one of the best Wide Receivers in the NFL. He was also an Olympic class high jumper in College who could have competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics. He is married, with children, and has been in many commercials, such as ones for McDonalds, Air-Tran Airways, and Goodwill, just to name a few. He is very well known for his charity work. He has received the "Walter Payton Man of the Year Award", which is the only NFL award that recognizes off-the-field community service, as well as on-the-field playing excellence. Plus adding to his squeaky clean, family man image, he is a published author of childrens books. It doesn't get more family man oriented then that.

I admit, I haven't read through all of the comments (there's way too many!), but has anyone considered LaDainian Tomlinson? He won MVP in 2006, he has a wife that isn't well-known, and they had a baby in July. Plus, the Jets coach, Rex Ryan, brought LT on board specifically to win championships. He's actually quite vocal about the Jets going to the Super Bowl. LT is also involved with many organizations and charities.

I'm a die-hard Colts fan, and I love Manning, but he's just not good looking at all.

I realize that most here are not Packer fans, but Driver is a good player. He's set records in his Career, and he has the link to the Favre red-herring you said would fit Rodgers... Plus he is way known for being a squeaky-clean, all american, charitiable family man. Aaron Rodgers is not even married and is not really known for charity work.

I really think this could be Driver. People know who he is, he does tons of charity, and has the family man image. I mean come on the man wrote childrens books!!! He's not showy. And his wife is not someone that people would recognize walking down the street.

Championship rings do not equal the Green Bay Packers unless you're talking about Favre who's been with them when they were good. Remember, whoever this is is a household name according to Ted. Neither Driver or Rogers is at all a household name.

If you read it literally, he is saying, "I'm not going to tell you that it's not Drew Brees". He follows up with "he sure ain't a saint, no matter what is on his jersey". Again, taken literally, with the question asked, the guy is a New Orleans Saint.

"Dear Ted:Please tell me that Pepper is not Saints Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees. It would break my heart after seeing that adorable picture of him lifting his son in the air at the Super Bowl win.—No Name

Dear Too Much Salt:Nope, and he sure ain't a saint no matter what uniform he's got on. Typical dog stuff."

Yes I agree, he's saying "nope" that he won't say it's NOT him. Not an elimination.

This is what I get for reading stuff here prior to going to E!, and reading stuff having just woken up from a nap. I thought it was an elimination at first. Now, it definitely isn't. Sistah2 is right; it's more like a confirmation.

Honestly, if Brees had been eliminated, after everything that I'd said about him being the perfect candidate, I'd have done a Sylvia Plath. Then, I'd feel really stupid when I remembered that my oven's electric.

Wow, that's what I get for skimming the BBs over lunch. I had to read it a couple times to see it as NOT an elimination, but now I get it. I still don't think it's a confirmation, though. This makes me feel better too, because Brees is such a good fit.

"Dear Ted:My fiancé and I have been guessing like crazy trying to figure out who Pepper Harthman is. Does Pepper play football or baseball? I know you can't reveal too much, but I was hoping maybe you could tell me. I am an animal lover and lost my two kitties a while back. Kisses to you and to your animals.—M

Dear Pepped Up:I'll tell you that yes, it's either football or baseball. And don't bitch that I'm not answering your question, 'cause I just eliminated every other sport with a ball that our sexting sports star could play."

Wow, interesting take on the Brees question. Reading it quickly sure makes it seem like Ted was eliminating, but he most definitely did not...I didn't even realize it until I read the comments here! You guys are GOOD!!

Im liking the consensus on Ted's answer about Drew Brees, and he definitely is at the top of my list fo this; however, id like to throw out just one other alternative I dont think has been mentioned - what about Mark Sanchez, the Jets' QB? Im not sure on his marital status, but I do think he fits other clues - hes def not at the end of his career, I dont think most people know his name unless theyre a football fan..also, I was going through some other blinds' comments, and I found a BB saying that Sanchez wasnt a BV at the time,buthe should be soon...i think the BB was a little older, maybe Jan of this year, but we don't see too many athletes in the BVs. I think the BB migt have been in the comments on the List of Ted's Reveals, but im not positive. Just wanted to throw it out there, could be a bad guess but we'll see! Anyone know if Sanchez is married?

Mark Sanchez is at the beginning of his career. He's only played two seasons in the NFL and there are no "Championship Rings". I don't think he's married and the last passage in his Wiki states that he is interested in theater....hrm. I wonder if Ted pointed him out as having a BV soon because he may be playing for Ted's team? He is smoking hot, but I don't think he's been in the NFL long enough to be our Pepper.

Jes7o - thanks for considering my Sanchez guess, I had actually headed over here to shoot it down myself; I had forgotten just how much at the beginning of his career he is, and I had also forgotten about the "championship rings" clue. Id like to find out if Sanchez ever became a BV, maybe someone who has luck with Ted could ask? I nevr knew about his interest in theater, thanks for sharing that too. Again, Drew Brees is def still the best candidate! Id like to find a way to get a little more confirmation from Ted still, and maybe we can still throw out suggestions if something sounds good!

Concerning the "championship rings", I don't think Ted means Pepper already has them. It could mean that they may be in his future. Especially since he prefaces it by saying that his head "will never be in the game". (Future tense)

"Dear Ted:I don't know much about sports, yet this Pepper Harthman Vice is intriguing me. Mostly because I'm curious if this person will turn out to be as well-known as Tiger Woods—even I knew who he was despite my limited sports knowledge. Here is my first guess: Is it Cole Hamels?—Sasha

Don't you love those Twi-Hards who have no business discussing anything other than Robsten? When will people learn, even if you don't like sports, you will know this person by name. Meaning, he has advertisements AND is famous for being a great football player (hence the MVP status). LOL

Spie, I laughed at that too. At least she guessed someone still playing and didn't guess Joe Montana or something.

Since we now know it's a football player, and it's got to be someone well-known by name, I think Tara is on the right track with advertisements. The only NFL players with SIGNIFICANT endorsements are the Manning brothers, Farve, Brady, and Brees (and Brees is small but growing compared to the other four). Peyton is by far the hugest endorsements - I read one article that said ~85% of Americans recognize him by face alone.

Anyway, since we know it's not Brady or Farve, I think the only contenders left are the two Mannings and Brees. I'm still not positive that Ted has confirmed Brees, so want to get more info. Any ideas on a clever question to help narrow it down from those three?

Hi. I'm glad my letter to Ted amused y'all. However I knew my guess was completely wrong. My intent was to get an answer from Ted as to how well known the athlete was and I think I accomplished that. With my question, I was trying to eliminate Drew Brees as a guess which I think I did.

No way is Drew Brees as recognizable a name as Tiger Woods is to a person who doesn't know sports. Whereas I think the Manning brothers are. My intent was to reafirm my belief that the blind is about one of the Mannings. I'm leaning towards Eli more than Peyton though based on the AIA. Eli has more in common with the AIA than Peyton. Besides which Eli is squeaky clean as far as I know (no rumours about him) unlike Peyton.

Mena: No, you didn't. You didn't clarify exactly how famous Pepper was, nor did you eliminate Brees. The question wasn't well-worded, nor did Ted provide any concrete info. I think you could learn a thing or two from the way Tara and Rita do questions.

The Manning brothers are not as famous as Tiger to a person who does not know about sports. Peyton is, but Eli isn't. Please don't confuse working in the Cesspit of the Universe for universal presence. To quote Don Henley, "This year notoriety got all confused with fame." One can easily make the case that Eli is the second-most-famous quarterback playing in New Jersey.

The problem is that the obvious questions that would confirm/deny the Mannings are too obvious for Ted to print, stuff like "Does Pepper have famous relatives?" I think I have something that may work: "In his career progression, has Pepper migrated north to south or (blind) vice versa?" If the former, it's Brees. If the latter, it's one of the Mannings.

And, to add to what Spie said, Ted's answer seemed to be directed to your query about Cole Hamels rather than your first question. Sorry, there is no one in the NFL or any other sport that is more recognizable than Tiger Woods. Fact. Obviously, Ted was referring to the second question...

I think the reason I keep coming back to Drew over the Mannings is this: "total dog stuff". As far as I know, neither Manning has children. It is one thing to cheat on your wife, it's a completely different level of dog if you cheat on your PREGNANT wife who is caring for your toddler at home WHO YOU CARRIED ON YOUR ARMS AFTER YOU WON THE SUPERBOWL! That's pretty low...I would classify that as "total dog stuff". It's also closer to Tiger level doggery....

I would prefer that it wasn't Brees, but logic tells me that there really is not a better choice.

Also, Eli Manning is childless, according to wiki and everything else I've scanned on the Internet. Don't get me wrong, I think there's something weird about the Mannings, but I just don't think this vice is it. My gut is telling me that something else is up with them...

Eli Manning DOES NOT have any children. He actually just recently got married. Trust, I am a football fanatic and a huge fan of the Manning family. (Though the Colts have my heart.) And, once again, I have absolutely no friends that think Peyton is good looking. Sure, he has an amazing personality, but Ted says "good looking". Peyton? Not so much. And Eli is not nearly as recognizable as Peyton.

Plus, Peyton isn't squeaky clean. He had some legal difficulties when he was sued by a female athletic trainer when he played at Tennessee. He settled with her for $300,000.

I think we're now down to it HAVING to be a Manning brother. We know it's football, he's got household name recognition, and it's not Brady Favre or Brees. There are no non-QBs with that kind of name reco (except TO and Ocho, but neither of them are married and make a living off being "bad boys") and none of the other QBs fit for the rest of the blind.

I don't think Peyton is good-looking, although I've heard plenty of people call him cute (even the ugliest sports players have groupies who will swear they're hot) and he's the best successor to Tiger in terms of name recognition and endorsements. Eli isn't nearly as well known but has a super-squeaky-clean image and is definitely in the middle of his career. I'm torn on which, but I think it has to be one of them.

And I think "family man" most definitely could refer to the Mannings. For a few years, every single piece on Peyton or Eli mentioned their dad and brother, and they ALWAYS talk about their mom having to choose which one to root for when they play each other. It's well talked up about how close the Manning family is, and that's a major part of their personas. It doesn't have to be kids imo, just about family in general.

I think that for Pepper Harthman, one of the Manning brothers is a very good guess, Peyton fits the clues better than Eli, but did anyone think Carson Palmer?

I might be going up the wrong tree here, but there are tiger references in the articles and he plays for the Bengals. He would be less obvious than either of the Mannings, and (this one is really a reach here) on two of the Bitch Back questions ted has "T.Or" in the answers, and both times I read them, I immediately thought of T.O. and he is a receiver on the Bengals. Just a thought.

Doting family man just is odd terminology for someone who merely has famous family members he is close to. It alludes to the man within his marriage and how he is with kids. It could be in reference to Manning, but that would be ridiculous for Ted to word it like that if so, imo.

Sooooooo, Brees is out as of this morning. We need to find out if PH has any kids. If he does not, then it probably is Manning (though I will go kicking and screaming because you can never tell me that no-necked forehead face is hot, TED) and I can give this a big ol' yawn. Is it really shocking that another celebrity sports star is a cheater? I think Ted should do a blind about a mega sports star who can keep it in his pants when he is on the road, that is shocking BV behavior for an athlete. Wouldn't want to let that leak amongst his teammates, that he actually cares for his wife and is monogamous, there would be too much credibility lost and a gateway for extreme mockery and humiliation.

Tara, I agree. At this point, I'm more shocked by the people who DON'T think sports stars cheat.

The blind doesn't say doting family man though. It says he's "praised for his family-man demeanor" and that he "has a doting family". Neither of which imply kids, in fact the second one implies that he's the one being doted on.

Since neither Manning has kids, I think a more apt question would be something like in which region of the country does Pepper's team play - east, west, or Midwest. (Can't do time zones, Indy and NY are both Eastern.)

I'm really leaning towards Eli. I agree that Peyton is nowhere close to good looking. Plus Peyton had the sexual assualt lawsuit when he was at Tennessee. And with all the divorce rumors and cheating accusations he's not squeaky clean.

Eli fits all the clues really well except the assumption that "has a doting family" implies kids. Also, he and his wife are big donors for a NYC birthing center as well as charities in New Orleans.

Carson Palmer is not nearly as recognizable, he doesn't have any kids or superbowl rings. And TO could never be considered squeaky clean or a family man.

My vote is Eli. We should definitely try to find out from Ted if Pepper has kids.

And like all of y'all said it would be more shocking if a pro athlete DIDN'T cheat. Besides Drew Brees, the only person that I would actually be shocked by is Tim Tebow. He doesn't fit for Pepper but Tebow is only a rookie and yet he has the highest jersey sales of all NFL players. Unless you count college he is definitely in the begining of his career. He is ultra conservative and religious. He's not married and even says he's saving himself for marriage. Unless you count college he has no rings. So he really does not fit but it would be beyond shocking if he was Pepper.

Hmm....well there goes all our good detective work! I really thought it was Brees. Okay, I really didn't think it was one of the Mannings,but it almost has to be now doesn't it? There just aren't too many other household name football players left, and we can't be wrong about that part. I guess i'd lean more towards Eli, but at this point who knows. Ravens' QB Joe Flacco is becoming more and more well known...no wait he's still way more towards the beginning of his career, not middle. Spie, I like your thinking with your question, did you ask Ted or are you going to? There's def a way to figure this out, we just have to out-Ted-speak Ted! Oh, one more thing, Tara, you're so right! A blind about a monogamous, caring, married, etc. athlete would be way more shocking at this point than more scandalous behavior!

I hate this BV! By process of elimination, the Mannings are all we have. I would lean more towards Eli as well, because he is more squeaky clean and wholesome than Peyton. I can see where people would say that Peyton is attractive, but there is too much buzz about him being a dog, way before this vice was published.

Everyone is right, it's not that shocking for an athlete to be a dog. That's why Drew was such an attractive guess, because he is on that good guy pedestal. Tim Tebow is also known for his good guyness, but he's definitely at the beginning of his career. No one else currently in the game has the name recognition....

I am starting to hate it as well, Jes! I can see why many might lean toward Eli, he is more clean reputation wise and better looking. However, he has much less to lose than Peyton. I think for Ted to care about this it has to be Peyton--he compared him to Tiger and PM is the only one who comes close brand and recognition-wise. If this is Eli, it'd be like comparing Aliana Lohan to Britney Spears or something; just because she has a famous sibling. The name "Manning" is household, but that is strictly due to Peyton and his dad. Eli is okay, but most just know him as Peyton's less talented brother or "Doesn't Peyton have a brother that plays too, in like, the tri-state area or something?". That is as close to household as his name gets, in my opinion.

In related news, if Ted eliminates Peyton I will ram my head repeatedly against a wall and then force myself to retire from this thread;) Spie, you've been awfully quiet here, can you add anything to the debate?

"Dear Ted:I'm pretty sure that our local professional sports hero is Pepper Harthman. Only one piece of the puzzle doesn't fit. I think you said there's no hint of gossip about him. Well, here in the hometown, most people suspect that Pepper's marriage is for show only. Local law enforcement officers can tell you stories of covering for Pepper and/or his wife as they pursue extra-marital alliances. Does that rule him out, or does local gossip not count? Actually, you can answer my musings very easily: Does Pepper have children? Unfortunately, a "no" answer will pretty much point to our guy, so I'm guessing you can't answer it.—I'm almost sure I know

Dear Not So Sure:This daddy does it all, maybe not in the classiest of ways, but he sure enjoys a family huddle, kids or no kids involved."

LOL Jes! I don't even know what that BB response says, it makes my eyes cross and brain hurt! Whaaaaaa?!!! That question was worded in such a way that it left tons of wiggle room for Ted to dance around it. It asked what we all wanted to know, but I also flat out asked if Pep had kids the other day, and nothing--he chose this one for a reason. I think Pepper's masterful PR team has gotten to Ted! If this is not Peyton, who is left that we could even try to care about?

Inadvertently, if PM is eliminated, that makes me focus back on Brady, who we all know is highly likely to NOT be Pep because his wife is high profile and Ted said Pep's wife is not that recognizable......but who else would be big news and is on a great team and has MVP status?! Aaaaarrrgh.

Oh, God...I'm about ready to give up. I can't think of a good question to ask. Asking whether Pepper's been on multiple teams won't eliminate either of the Mannings or Brady. You could ask whether or not Pepper played his college ball in a former Confederate state, but that'd only narrow it down to the Mannings and not differentiate between them.

Oh, wait, I've got a good one. I'm not going to print it here because we know Ted's people are watching, but let's see if he bites...

What about Phillip Rivers? He is All-American, married to his high school sweetheart, has like 4 kids or something crazy. He is one of the highest paid qbs in the league despite never winning a superbowl. He is also in San Diego which would make more sense Ted would hear something than a guy who is in Indianapolis or a non-industry place.

I think the kids thing is kind of a non-issue anyway - his wording still points to a Manning (into family huddles). I think the point now is to find a question with no wiggle room that either differentiates between the brothers or rules them out completely.

I am thinking of finding a nice older married man to start a relationship with. I would prefer if he has money, and I have noticed how athlete's love those kind of relationships. I think the Manning boys are right up my alley. Which do you think would be more likely to want to be my "daddy"?

Eli Manning raised millions for the construction of "The Eli Manning Children's Clinics" in Mississippi. And also according to Wiki, in 2009, Eli, Peyton, and Archie co-authored a children's book entitled Family Huddle, which describes in simple text and pictures how the three Manning brothers played football as young boys. FAMILY HUDDLE!!! It HAS to be Eli.

Disclaimer

The "exposed" celebrities mentioned in this blog are purely guesses. They are the thoughts and opinions of the authors of this blog in response to reading various gossip columns. Do not take our guesses, or photos posted of our guesses, as fact or as a source of accurate information. We are doing this for entertainment purposes only.

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